


Not Today

by tylerscreamingintothevoid



Series: All that you are is all I'll ever need [4]
Category: South Park
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - High School, Bully Cartman, Bullying, Crushing, Cute Ending, Fluff and Angst, Jock Boyfriend, Jock Craig, M/M, Nerd Tweek, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-06-21 08:12:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15553434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tylerscreamingintothevoid/pseuds/tylerscreamingintothevoid
Summary: Craig always copies off of Tweek' homework, and seemingly doesn't care about the boy in the slightest. Then Tweek starts going missing, and Craig finds he misses the kid more than he thought he would.





	Not Today

“Yo, Tweak!”

Craig was never one to do his own work. He would always grab someone in the morning and get the homework off of them. Tweek Tweak was usually that someone.

Tweek was standing at his locker, shakily reshuffling his books and folders around when he heard Craig’s voice. He shuddered.   
  
When Craig leaned against the locker Tweek didn’t look up. They’d both hit their growth spurts a few years back and now Craig was a lot taller, and since he joined the baseball team, a lot fitter. Not that Tweek ever noticed.

“I said, ‘yo, Tweak’.”

He’d also gotten a lot more arrogant. Tweek closed his locker and looked to him. “Craig?”

“Have you got the algebra homework done?” He tilted his head slightly to look down on the blonde. “You’re top of the class, right?”

“I am,” said Tweek, packing his bag and putting it on his back, “the top of the class. Right.”

“So you can loan me the homework?” His voice was smooth and laced with arrogance.

“No,” huffed Tweek as he started to walk down the corridor. First class was about to start, World History. He didn’t want to be late.

“Tweek, come on. We’ve been friends for  _ years _ dude.”

Tweek tried to brush it off, but instead he turned on his heel. He regarded Craig for a moment. The boy was wearing his baseball tee and some worn jeans. Under his arm was his jacket, with  _ Tucker  _ printed on the back. The blonde however was in a button up sky blue shirt that matched his eyes along with jeans that barely clung to his thing waist, even with a belt on.

He fidgeted with the rims of his textbooks for a moment before looking away. “I don’t want to do this today, just- just not, not today. Please go away Craig.” 

Craig snorted. “What, you woke up on the wrong side of the bed, kid?”

Tweek huffed again, twitched then rolled his eyes. “Shut up, just leave me alone.”   
  
He turned back and started walking down the hallway. Craig followed, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Something wrong?”   
  
“N-not your business, Tucker.”   
  
“Don’t be a dick, man,” mumbled Craig, “I’m trying to be nice.”   
  
“I don’t care, i-it’s got nothing to do with you!”   


“Fine, fuck you.” Craig turned to leave. “Some other nerd probably has it done.”

Tweek let him leave. He didn’t need Craig’s charming smile that morning, nor did he feel the need to apologise for acting out. Tucker was being annoying, so it was justified.

**********************************************

A few weeks passed, and Tweek continued to avoid Craig. The jock noted it and went on with his life, but one Tuesday he stopped in his tracks when he realised that Tweek hadn’t come into school that day at all. He asked around if Tweek as in, and received mixed responses.    
  
Craig didn’t see Tweek until his break during baseball practice. The blonde was sitting at the bleachers, talking to the other ‘nerds’ in their year, Kenny and Stan. Craig’s approach would’ve scattered them if he hadn’t gone in subtly. Tweek saw him first.

“Tucker what d-do you want?”

“Didn’t take you for a person to play truant, Tweak. What would the teachers think?”

“Wh-what? Shut up.” Tweek’s arm was bandaged up and he looked away furtively.

Craig glanced down at the bandage and he seemed to freeze momentarily. “Shop class accident?”   


“N-no, my uhm-uh-dad, he let me get a tattoo,” said Tweek, unwrapping the thicker layer to show the clean film that kept the fresh tattoo clean. 

Kenny and Stan had gone quiet, giving each other looks as Craig gave Tweek a look over. Craig ignored them, raising an eyebrow. “Your dad let you get a tattoo?”   
  
“He did.”   
  
It was done in blue ink, of an infinity sign with flowers sprouting out of and around it.

“It’s nice, man.”   
  
Tweek looked down at the grass and wrapped up his arm again. “Okay.”   
  
The silence was killing the taller boy, and he felt the pang of guilt in his chest. Had he actually done something wrong?   
  
“Uh, I didn't see you in class today,” said Craig, pushing through the silence.

“Yeah, I was out getting it done,” mumbled Tweek, gesturing to his arm.

Craig nodded and quietly grabbed his schoolbag that conveniently sat by the bleaches, pulling from it a folder. “I got you the notes from the classes we have together. You’re probably ahead of class already, but…”   
  
Tweek almost gasped. “You did?”   
  
“Yeah. Seemed like you were having a shitty week.”

“Well, uhm, thank you,” said Tweek, with a grin, running a hand through his spiked up hair and looking over Craig’s shoulder. “Someone’s calling you, big guy.”   
  
Craig turned stiffly and waved off whoever had called him. “Yeah, okay, see you around Tweek.”   
  
“Tucker?”   
  
“Yeah?”   
  
“You didn’t hand me the folder.”   
  
A pale pink flooded across Craig’s cheeks and over his nose. “Shit, yeah,” he said sheepishly, handing over the folder.

**********************************************

Unsurprisingly, Craig found himself hovering near Tweek’s locker, hoping he’d show before first bell.

First bell came and went, and Craig started to get worried as he went to his first class. When it came to fourth period, he started asking around if Tweek was even in or not.

He didn't know how he knew the kid would be there but Craig jogged out towards the bleachers where they had been the previous evening, finding him sitting down leaned against the steel frame.

“Tweak, dude, what-”

Tweek’s head jerked and Craig saw him. Blood had dripped from his lip down his chin, now almost dry. He had a fresh shiner, dark against his pale skin, making Craig's anger bubble towards whoever had done this. Tweek never did anything wrong, for god’s sake.

“Hey,” he whimpered brokenly.

**********************************************

“Why flowers?” Craig said as he sipped his latte and tilted his head, looking down at Tweeks tattoo. “How did you pick it?”   
  
Tweek glanced nervously from his arm to his own drink, then back to Craig, feeling confidence return to him. “Started with me and Kenny joking about opening a flower shop. Then I started learning about flowers, and I started to love how they look. They make me happy.”

Craig smiled softly. “I was going to get a tattoo, last summer.”

“You were?”   
  
Craig looked embarrassed. “I chickened out.”   
  
Really? You? That’s so funny. Did you cry?”   
  
“Shut up.”   
  
_ That was totally a yes. _

They continued their conversation casually before Craig chewed on his lip and asked what had been on his mind since they sat down. “Who did- who has been doing this to you?”

“You can’t think I'd actually tell you,” Tweek mumbled, frowning slightly,”   
  
“Pretty please?”   
  
Tweek hesitated before sighing. “Eric. Eric Cartman. But don’t do or say anything, please.”   
  
Craig couldn't make any promises.

**********************************************

Craig kept an eye on Tweek all day, or as much as he could between classes and he had almost calmed the knot in his gut when the smaller boy went missing again.

The black haired boy ran out to the bleachers, but only found cigarettes and glass bottles. He groaned and went back inside, asking around until someone said he had gone to the bathroom. He jogged to the out of order bathroom nearby, pushing the door open slightly. “Tweak?”   
  
Tweak’s arm was bleeding and he was trying desperately to cover it up. When Craig bent down to look closer, he saw a cut on Tweek’s arm. He saw a cut that went right through the tattoo, ruining it. He breathed sharply and then grabbed a ball of tissue, pressing it against the cut.

“I’m going to fucking kill him.”   
  
**********************************************

“Do you know what classes Cartman has? Just curious,” said Craig as they left the nurses office. She had done the best she could, but unfortunately the tattoo was ruined, leaving Craig furious and Tweek’s face with dried tears.

“I don’t know.”   
  
When Tweek saw him turn around in a huff, he grabbed the boy by his sleeve. “What?”

Tweek pulled him down to his level. “Give him hell,” he grumbled, and before Craig could respond their lips had already pressed together.

A couple hours later, Craig met up with him at the same coffee shop again, a shit eating grin on his face. His eye was blacked, lip burst and knuckles bloody.

“Yo, Tweak.”


End file.
